Patients at the Royal United Hospital in Bath are now benefitting from new mouth care boxes, which have been rolled out across wards to help support oral hygiene.
Scott Duncan, a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, with Senior Dental Nurse Lorraine Forrester | Photo © RUH
Hospital staff are often required to support patients with their oral hygiene and need the right equipment to do this.
Each ward has now been provided with a mouth care box, which includes items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste.
The idea for the mouthcare boxes came from Matron Erin Houlihan, who recognised that a small change could make a big difference for many of the people the hospital cares for.
Funding for the project came from the RUH’s Innovation Panel, which supports staff to develop their own innovative projects and ideas by providing support and funding to improve patient care and experience, and the way staff work across the hospital trust.
Erin has been supported by Lorraine Forrester, Senior Dental Nurse, who has been instrumental in introducing the mouth care boxes to RUH wards and providing training for staff.
Lorraine said: “Good oral hygiene is so important but it is one of the things that many patients can overlook if they are staying at the hospital.
“Poor oral health has an impact on nutrition, hydration, comfort and communication so it’s important that staff have the training and resources they need to support patients with mouth care.
“Staff on wards have been trained about how to brush patients’ teeth for them when they are unable to do it themselves and how to use a pen torch to check patients’ mouths for any concerns.
“Each ward also has its own mouth care box which contains things like different types of toothpaste and different toothbrushes, so staff can provide support to those patients who need it.
“The mouthcare boxes and oral hygiene training has proved really successful and have had a really positive impact on our patients’ experience while they are with us.”
